Toffees bow out on high note

Three years ago, almost to the day, a shambolic Newcastle United surrendered to the most supine of defeats at Aston Villa and in the process endured the ignominy of relegation to the Championship.

They were rightly deemed in such disarray to be written off in many quarters as the latest big-name club to be consigned to a lengthy exile in the relative wilderness of the Football League. How times change.

It is an indication of the strides they have made in the ensuing trio of seasons that their fifth-place finish, a quite stunning achievement despite going out on somewhat of a low, should be met with a tinge of disappointment and a palpable thought of what might have been.